Also by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer BOOKS Being in Balance Everyday Wisdom Everyday Wisdom for Success Getting in the Gap (book-with-CD) Incredible You! (children’s book with Kristina Tracy) Inspiration The Invisible Force It’s Not What You’ve Got (children’s book with Kristina Tracy) Manifest Your Destiny A Morning and Afternoon of Your Life No More Holiday Blues The Power of Intention A Promise Is a Promise Pulling Your Own Strings Real Magic The Sky’s the Limit Staying on the Path 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace There’s a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem Unstoppable Me! (children’s book with Kristina Tracy) What Do You Really Want for Your Children? Wisdom of the Ages You’ll See It When You Believe It Your Erroneous Zones
Your Sacred Self Your Ultimate Calling AUDIO/CD PROGRAMS Applying the 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace Change Your Thoughts—Change Your Life (unabridged 8-CD set) Change Your Thoughts Meditation Everyday Wisdom (audio book) Freedom Through Higher Awareness How to Be a No-Limit Person How to Get What You Really, Really, Really, Really Want If You Change the Way You Live, the Life You Are Living Will Change (abridged 4-CD set) Inspiration (abridged 4-CD set) Inspirational Thoughts The Keys to Higher Awareness Making Your Thoughts Work for You (with Byron Katie) Meditations for Manifesting A Morning and Afternoon of Your Life (abridged 4-CD set) 101 Ways to Transform Your Life (audio book) The Power of Intention (abridged 4-CD set) A Promise Is a Promise (audio book) The Secrets of the Power of Intention (6-CD set) 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace There Is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem The Wayne Dyer Audio Collection/CD Collection Your
Journey to Enlightenment (6-tape program) VIDEOCASSETTES Creating Real Magic in Your Life How to Be a No-Limit Person The Miracle Mindset 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace What Do You Really Want for Your Children? MISCELLANEOUS Everyday Wisdom Perpetual Flip Calendar Inner Peace Cards Inspiration Cards Inspiration Perpetual Flip Calendar The Power of Intention Cards The Power of Intention Perpetual Flip Calendar 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace Cards 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace gift products: Notecards, Candle, and Journal All of the above are available at your local bookstore, or may be ordered by visiting: Hay House USA: www.hayhouse.com Hay House Australia: www.hayhouse.com.au Hay House UK: www.hayhouse.co.uk Hay House South Africa: [email protected] Hay House India: www.hayhouse.co.in
Copyright © 2007 by Wayne W. Dyer Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com • Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au • Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk • Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: [email protected] • Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com • Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in Wayne Dyer’s editor: Joanna Pyle Editorial supervision: Jill Kramer • Design: Amy Rose Grigoriou All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private use—other than for “fair use” as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews—without prior written permission of the publisher. The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dyer, Wayne W. Change your thoughts, change your life : living the wisdom of the Tao / Wayne W. Dyer.--1st ed.,. p. cm. ISBN 978-1-4019-1184-3 (hardcover) -- ISBN 978-1-4019-1750-0 (pbk.) 1. Laozi. Dao de jing. I. Title. BL1900.L35D94 2007 299.5’1482--dc22 2007000532
ISBN: 978-1-4019-1184-3 10 09 08 07 4 3 2 1 1st edition, August 2007 Printed in the United States of America
Contents Preface. Verse Number: 1 Living the Mystery 2 Living the Paradoxical Unity 3 Living Contentment 4 Living Infinitely 5 Living Impartially 6 Living Creatively 7 Living Beyond Ego 8 Living in the Flow 9 Living Humility 10 Living Oneness 11 Living from the Void 12 Living with Inner Conviction 13 Living with an Independent Mind 14 Living Beyond Form 15 Living an Unhurried Life 16 Living with Constancy 17 Living as an Enlightened Leader 18 Living Without Rules 19 Living Without Attachment 20 Living Without Striving 21 Living the Elusive Paradox 22 Living with Flexibility 23 Living Naturally 24 Living Without Excess 25 Living from Greatness
26 Living Calmly 27 Living by Your Inner Light 28 Living Virtuously 29 Living by Natural Law 30 Living Without Force 31 Living Without Weapons 32 Living the Perfect Goodness of the Tao 33 Living Self-Mastery 34 Living the Great Way 35 Living Beyond Worldly Pleasures 36 Living in Obscurity 37 Living in Simplicity 38 Living Within Your Own Nature 39 Living Wholeness 40 Living by Returning and Yielding 41 Living Beyond Appearances 42 Living by Melting into Harmony 43 Living Softly 44 Living by Knowing When to Stop 45 Living Beyond Superficialities 46 Living Peacefully 47 Living by Being 48 Living by Decreasing 49 Living Beyond Judgment 50 Living as an Immortal 51 Living by Hidden Virtue 52 Living by Returning to the Mother
53 Living Honorably 54 Living as If Your Life Makes a Difference 55 Living by Letting Go 56 Living by Silent Knowing 57 Living Without Authoritarianism 58 Living Untroubled by Good or Bad Fortune 59 Living by Thrift and Moderation 60 Living with Immunity to Evil 61 Living by Remaining Low 62 Living in the Treasure-house of the Tao 63 Living Without Difficulties 64 Living by Being Here Now 65 Living by Staying Simple-hearted 66 Living by Emulating the Sea 67 Living by the Three Treasures 68 Living by Cooperating 69 Living Without Enemies 70 Living a God-Realized Life 71 Living Without Sickness 72 Living with Awe and Acceptance 73 Living in Heaven’s Net 74 Living with No Fear of Death 75 Living by Demanding Little 76 Living by Bending 77 Living by Offering the Surplus 78 Living like Water 79 Living Without Resentments
80 Living Your Own Utopia 81 Living Without Accumulating Epilogue Acknowledgments About the Author
Preface Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. — George Bernard Shaw Change Your Thoughts—Change Your Life is the end product of my yearlong journey of research, contemplation, and application of the Tao Te Ching, a book of wisdom that’s been translated more than any volume in the world, with the exception of the Bible. Many scholars consider this Chinese classic the ultimate discourse on the nature of existence; and it continues to be a valuable resource for achieving a way of life that guarantees integrity, joy, peace, and balance. I recently read about someone who overcame life-threatening addictive behaviors by reading and rereading the 81 verses of this ancient text. Just imagine! In fewer than 100 short passages, it describes a way of living that’s balanced, moral, and spiritual; and that works for all facets of life on Earth. Legend tells us that the Tao Te Ching was authored by Lao-tzu, a prophet who was also the keeper of the imperial archives in the ancient capital of Luoyang. Seeing the continual decay during a period of warring states, Lao-tzu decided to ride westward into the desert. At the Hanku Pass, a gatekeeper named Yin Hsi, knowing of Lao-tzu’s reputation for being a man of wisdom, begged him to record the essence of his teaching. Thus, the Tao Te Ching was born out of 5,000 Chinese characters. In all my reading on the origins of the Tao Te Ching, I never found a definitive historical record of its writing . . . yet today it survives in thousands of versions in virtually every language. In fact, after reading this classic text one morning and then taking in a different interpretation that afternoon, I was hooked. I ordered more translations, five
of which were quite old and five of which were more modern (you’ll find their titles in the Acknowledgments). Since neither Lao-tzu nor the origins of his verses are historically certain, I was fascinated by the different ways the 5,000 characters were interpreted by scholars in the editions I studied—especially when you consider that many of these ancient Chinese symbols are no longer in use and invite differing translations themselves. I then felt called upon to write an essay for each verse that showed its valuable wisdom applied to the 21st century. From those ten translations I’d gone over, I pieced together the 81 passages in Change Your Thoughts— Change Your Life, based on how they resonated with me. This book is my personal interpretation of the Tao Te Ching, each verse of which gave me an insight into life and nature. As you read on, know that these pages were pasted together from what I personally felt were the most useful aspects of those ten different translations I studied, and I apologize for any exclusions (or if the inclusions don’t seem to be a perfect fit). One of the many gifts of the Tao Te Ching is its mindstretching quality, especially in the way that Lao-tzu uses irony and paradox to get you to look at life. If you think that being forceful is the appropriate response, Lao-tzu urges you to see the value in being humble. If action seems called for, he asks you to consider nonaction. If you feel that grasping will help you acquire what you need or want, he counsels you to let go and be patient. And just what is this thing called “the Tao”? As we’re told in the 1st verse, to name it is to lose it, so here’s the best that I can come up with: The Tao is the supreme reality, an all-pervasive Source of everything. The Tao never begins or ends, does nothing, and yet animates everything in the world of form and boundaries, which is called “the world of the 10,000 things.”
Commentaries on the Tao Te Ching generally interpret Tao as “the Way,” Te as “the shape and power” (that is, how the Tao manifests), and Ching as “book.” Every translation I read referred to the Tao as the Way with a capital W, and Te as adding light or color to the Way. Well, as I look at the name I’ve carried with me for over 65 years, Wayne Dyer, I realize what may have attracted me to studying and writing these essays! As you can see, the first three letters of my name make up the word Way, while a dyer is one who adds light or color. It’s no wonder why I’ve been so totally involved in reading, writing, interpreting, and, most significantly, putting into practice these 81 verses. In The Wisdom of China and India, Dr. Lin Yutang states, “If there is one book in the whole of Oriental literature which should be read above all others, it is, in my opinion [Lao-tzu’s] Book of Tao. . . . It is one of the profoundest books in the world’s philosophy . . .” As you read Change Your Thoughts—Change Your Life, you’re going to find your way through Lao-tzu’s mystical and practical philosophy, along with the joy of applying it to your life in today’s modern world. Writing this book was a complete surrender to ideas that didn’t always seem to fit a linear rational approach, and it has changed me in a way that’s like the Tao itself: unexplainable and unnameable. Once I knew that I’d be spending a year on this project, its creation came about in the following way, which I have journaled for you: I awake before 4 a.m., meditate, consume juices and supplements, and enter my sacred writing space. On a table, I have some framed drawings of Lao-tzu: In one he’s clad in simple robes, in another he’s standing with a staff, and in a third he’s astride an ox. I ease into my work and read one verse of the Tao Te Ching, letting the words stay with me and
inviting the forces of both the outer and the inner life to inform me. Some of the passages contain ideas that seem to be directed to political leaders—yet in all cases I keep the average reader in mind. In other words, I seek the wisdom for everyone, not just for those in positions of government or business. I jot down a few notes, and for the next three days I think about what Lao-tzu is offering. I invite the Tao to be with me throughout the day in all my activities as a background to the title of this book. “Change your thoughts, Wayne,” I tell myself, “and watch how your life changes.” And my thoughts do change. I feel the Tao with me, always there, always doing nothing, and always leaving absolutely nothing undone. As I’m now Seeing with a capital S, the landscape looks different. The people I See are godly creations who are ignoring their own nature, or even more poignantly, needily interfering in the affairs of others. I have a different perspective now: I feel more peaceful and patient. I keep being reminded of the cyclical nature of the world of the 10,000 things and have powerful insights that change what I see. I know that we humans are like the rest of the natural world and that sadness, fear, frustration, or any troubling feeling cannot last. Nature doesn’t create a storm that never ends. Within misfortune, good fortune hides. Following my days of thinking and then applying the wisdom of a particular verse, I look into the eyes of Lao-tzu’s picture in the early morning, and I wonder, What did you mean? How does this apply
here, today, to anyone who might want to live according to these majestic teachings? What happens next is mind-blowing in that it simply comes. Through the ages, through the atmosphere, through my purple pen and onto the page, flows what I can only call automatic writing. I know I don’t own it. I know I can’t touch it, feel it, see it, or even name it, but the words arrive in the world of the 10,000 things. I am grateful, bewildered, astonished, and overjoyed. The next day I begin another four-day adventure with this wisdom a Chinese master recorded 2,500 years ago, feeling so blessed, honored, and completely awestruck by the profound impact these words have on me. It’s my vision that in this 21st century, our world must recruit future leaders who are steeped in the importance of Lao-tzu’s words. Our survival may depend on understanding that the concepts of “enemy” and “war” can cease to exist through living Tao-centered lives. Government will need to retreat from regulating our personal lives, overly taxing our income, and invading our privacy. Yet the lessons and truths of the Tao must be discovered and applied by individuals. In this way, it can bring you to the enormous wonder of your own being—yes, you are the Tao at work. Your Preface being came from, and will return to, nonbeing. So for maximum enjoyment and benefit, make reading this book a personal journey. First peruse one of the passages of the Tao Te Ching and the essay that follows it. Next, spend some time applying it, changing the way you’ve been conditioned to think and letting yourself open up to a new way of conceptualizing these ideas. Finally, individualize the verse by writing, recording, drawing, or expressing yourself in whatever way you’re called to. And
move on to the next verse with a rhythm that suits your nature. The following is from 365 Tao: Daily Meditations by Deng Ming Dao, which I love to turn to each day. Read this excerpt and see the Tao coming alive in you: If you spend a long period of time in study and selfcultivation, you will enter Tao. By doing so, you also enter a world of extraordinary perceptions. You experience unimaginable things, receive thoughts and learning as if from nowhere, perceive things that could be classified as prescient. Yet if you try to communicate what you experience, there is no one to understand you, no one who will believe you. The more you walk this road, the farther you are from the ordinary ways of society. You may see the truth, but you will find that people would rather listen to politicians, performers, and charlatans. If you are known as a follower of Tao, people may seek you out, but they are seldom the ones who will truly understand Tao. They are people who would exploit Tao as a crutch. To speak to them of the wonders you have seen is often to engage in a futile bout of miscommunication. That is why it is said that those who know do not speak. Why not simply stay quiet? Enjoy Tao as you will. Let others think you are dumb. Inside yourself, you will know the joy of Tao’s mysteries. If you meet someone who can profit by your experience, you should share. But if you are merely a wanderer in a crowd of strangers, it is wisdom to be silent. Perhaps the overriding message of the Tao Te Ching is to learn how to luxuriate in the simplicity of what you’re being told throughout this ancient sacred text. As you put its ideas into practice, you’ll discover how profound it all is—
but then you’ll find yourself startled by its simplicity and naturalness. The advice of this ancient master is so easy to apply that you mustn’t try to complicate it. Simply allow yourself to stay in harmony with your nature, which can be trusted if you just listen and act accordingly. I hope that you’ll feel joyously in love with Lao-tzu and his wondrous Tao Te Ching, and that you’ll add your light and color to the Great Way. I offer you my love, along with my commitment to a Tao-centered world. I can think of no greater vision for you, for our planet, or for our universe. — Wayne W. Dyer Maui, Hawaii (Editor’s note: Lao-tzu’s name has been spelled many different ways over the years, so in order to avoid confusion in this book, we’ll be using the spelling preferred by Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition.)
Of birds I know that they have wings to fly with, of fish that they have fins to swim with, of wild beasts that they have feet to run with. For feet there are traps, for fins nets, for wings arrows. But who knows how dragons surmount wind and cloud into heaven? This day I have seen [Lao-tzu] and he is a dragon. — from The Way of Life According to Lao Tzu, translated by Witter Bynner (This quote is attributed to Confucius, after he visited the elder Lao-tzu to seek advice on points of ceremonial etiquette.)
1st Verse The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The Tao is both named and nameless. As nameless it is the origin of all things; as named it is the Mother of 10,000 things. Ever desireless, one can see the mystery; ever desiring, one sees only the manifestations. And the mystery itself is the doorway to all understanding.
Living the Mystery In this opening verse of the Tao Te Ching, Lao-tzu tells us that the “Tao is both named and nameless.” This sounds paradoxical to our Western intellect—and it is! Paradoxical thinking is embedded in Eastern concepts such as yin and yang or the feminine and the masculine, and where things are comfortably described as both this and that. We in the West, by contrast, tend to view opposites as incompatible concepts that contradict each other. Yet this book is asking that we change our ingrained ways of thinking and see how our lives change as a result. The Tao is an unknowable, unseeable realm where everything originates; while at the same time, the Tao is invisibly within everything. When we desire to see this invisibleness (mystery), we attempt to define it in terms of the outer world of form—what Lao-tzu calls “the 10,000 things.” He counsels us that letting go of trying to see the mystery will actually allow us to see it. Or, as I like to think of it, “let go and let God.” But how can we do that? One way is to permit ourselves to practice more paradoxical thinking by recognizing that desiring (wanting) and desireless (allowing) are different and the same . . . rather like the mysterious ends of a continuum. Desiring is the physical expression of creating conditions that allow us to be receptive; that is, it’s in-the-world preparation for receiving. According to Lao-tzu, wanting to know or see the mystery of the Tao will reveal evidence of it in a variety of manifestations, but not the mystery itself. But this isn’t a dead end! From this ground of desiring, the flowering of the mysterious Tao grows. It’s as if wanting transforms into effortless allowing. Desiring, one sees the manifestations; desireless, one can see the mystery itself.
When we tune in to what Lao-tzu is telling us, it becomes readily apparent that our world produces abundant examples of this paradoxical process. Think of gardening and desiring those luscious homegrown tomatoes or spring daffodils: Allowing them to grow is ultimately what happens. Now think of the things in life that involve wanting and how they differ from allowing: Wanting to go to sleep, for instance, rather than going to sleep. Wanting to diet, rather than dieting. Wanting to love, rather than loving. In this reference to the Tao, desireless means trusting, permitting, and allowing. Desire is both the beginning and the ground of desirelessness, yet wanting is also the beginning and the ground of allowing. They are the same, and they are different. Pay attention to times when you can feel in your body where you are on the continuum between desiring and allowing (or trying and doing). Trying to play the piano, drive the car, or ride the bicycle is the same as, and different from, actually playing the piano, driving the car, and riding the bicycle. Once those outer-world activities are desired and learned, there’s a time when allowing is what you do. The point here is to recognize the difference in your body between trying and allowing, and to then become aware of the effortless sensation of the latter. This practice will also lead to a greater awareness of the invisible mystery and the 10,000 things, which are the visible phenomena of our world. The 10,000 things that Lao-tzu refers to represent the categorized, classified, and scientifically named objects of the earth, which help us communicate and identify what we’re talking and thinking about. Yet for all our technological expertise and scientific categorization, we can never truly create a human eye or liver, or even a grain of wheat for that matter. Each of these things—along with the remainder that comprise the known or named world—
emerge from the mystery, the eternal Tao. Just as the world is not its named parts, we’re not exclusively the skin, bone, and rivers of fluids that we’re physically made of. We, too, are the eternal Tao, invisibly animating our tongues to speak, ears to hear, and eyes to see and experience the manifest and the mystery. Consciously allowing this nameless mystery is ultimately the way to practice the Tao. Does that mean putting yourself in harm’s way? Of course not. Does that mean trusting the mystery at the moment you’re being mugged or mistreated? Probably not. Does it mean never trying to change things? No. It does mean cultivating a practice of being in the mystery and allowing it to flow through you unimpeded. It means permitting the paradox of being in form at the same time that you allow the mystery to unfold. Do the Tao; find your personal ways of living in the mystery. As Lao-tzu says in this 1st verse, “And the mystery itself is the doorway to all understanding.” Here’s my advice for translating this passage into daily practice in this 21st century: First and foremost, enjoy the mystery! Let the world unfold without always attempting to figure it all out. Let relationships just be, for example, since everything is going to stretch out in Divine order. Don’t try so hard to make something work—simply allow. Don’t always toil at trying to understand your mate, your children, your parents, your boss, or anyone else, because the Tao is working at all times. When expectations are shattered, practice allowing that to be the way it is. Relax, let go, allow, and recognize that some of your desires are about how you think your world should be, rather than how it is in that moment. Become an astute observer . . . judge less and listen more. Take time to open your mind to the fascinating mystery and uncertainty that we all experience.
Practice letting go of always naming and labeling. The labeling process is what most of us were taught in school. We studied hard to be able to define things correctly in order to get what we called “high grades.” Most educational institutions insisted on identifying everything, leading to a tag that distinguished us as graduates with knowledge of specific categories. Yet we know, without anyone telling us, that there is no title, degree, or distinguishing label that truly defines us. In the same way that water is not the word water—any more than it is agua, Wasser, or H2O—nothing in this universe is what it’s named. In spite of our endless categorizations, each animal, flower, mineral, and human can never truly be described. In the same way, the Tao tells us that “the name that can be named is not the eternal name.” We must bask in the magnificence of what is seen and sensed, instead of always memorizing and categorizing. Do the Tao Now At some point today, notice an instance of annoyance or irritation you have with another person or situation. Decide to do the Tao (or practice the Way) in that moment by turning inward with curiosity about where you are on the continuum between desire and allowing. Permit the paradox of wanting the irritant to vanish and allowing it to be what it is. Look inward for it in your thoughts and allow yourself to feel it wherever it is and however it moves in your body. Turn all of your attention to becoming open-minded, allowing permissiveness to befriend the mystery within yourself. Notice how the feeling manifests itself: perhaps doing “loop-de-loops” in your stomach, giving a rigidness to your skeleton, making your heart pound, or tightening your throat. Wherever it is, allow it as an enigmatic messenger within you, and give it nonjudgmental attention. Notice the
desire for the feeling to disappear, and allow it to be monitored compassionately by you. Accept whatever comes. Encounter the mystery within without labeling, explaining, or defending. It’s a subtle distinction at first, which you must take personal responsibility for identifying. You alone can prepare the ground of your being for the experience of living the mystery.
2nd Verse Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty, only because there is ugliness. All can know good as good only because there is evil. Being and nonbeing produce each other. The difficult is born in the easy. Long is defined by short, the high by the low. Before and after go along with each other. So the sage lives openly with apparent duality and paradoxical unity. The sage can act without effort and teach without words. Nurturing things without possessing them, he works, but not for rewards; he competes, but not for results. When the work is done, it is forgotten. That is why it lasts forever.
Living the Paradoxical Unity The concept of something or someone being beautiful is grounded in a belief system that promotes duality and judgment. This way of thinking is prevalent and commonplace for just about everybody in our culture, perhaps even having some value in society. I encourage you to explore the concept of paradoxical unity in this 2nd verse of the Tao Te Ching. By changing your thoughts, you can change your life and truly live the bliss of oneness. Has it ever occurred to you that beauty depends on something being identified as ugly? Therefore, the idea of beauty produces the idea of ugliness, and vice versa. Just think of how many concepts in this “duality belief system” depend on opposites: A person isn’t tall unless there’s a belief system that includes short. Our idea of life couldn’t exist without that of death. Day is the opposite of night. Male is the antithesis of female. What if you instead perceived all as a piece (or a glimpse) of the perfection of oneness? I think this is what Lao-tzu is suggesting with his description of the sage who “lives openly with apparent duality and paradoxical unity.” Imagine the perfect oneness coexisting in the apparent duality, where opposites are simply judgments made by human minds in the world of 10,000 things. Surely the daffodil doesn’t think that the daisy is prettier or uglier than it is, and the eagle and the mouse have no sense of the opposites we call life and death. The trees, flowers, and animals know not of ugliness or beauty; they simply are . . . in harmony with the eternal Tao, devoid of judgment. As the sage lives openly with apparent duality, he synthesizes the origin with the manifestation without
forming an opinion about it. Living without judgment and in perfect oneness is what Lao-tzu invites his readers to do. He invites our wisdom to combine perceived opposites and live a unified life. The perfection of the Tao is allowing apparent duality while seeing the unity that is reality. Life and death are identical. Virtue and sin are judgments, needing both to identify either. These are the paradoxes of a unified life; this is living within the eternal Tao. Once the dichotomies or pairs of opposites are transcended, or at least seen for what they are, they flow in and out of life like the tides. Practice being a living, breathing paradox every moment of your life. The body has physical boundaries—it begins and ends and has material substance. Yet it also contains something that defies boundaries, has no substance, and is infinite and formless. You are both the Tao and the 10,000 things simultaneously. Let the contrasting and opposite ideas be within you at the same time. Allow yourself to hold those opposite thoughts without them canceling each other out. Believe strongly in your free will and ability to influence your surroundings, and simultaneously surrender to the energy within you. Know that good and evil are two aspects of a union. In other words, accept the duality of the material world while still remaining in constant contact with the oneness of the eternal Tao. The debilitating necessity to be right and make others wrong will diminish. I believe that Lao-tzu would apply the Tao Te Ching to today’s world by suggesting the following: Live a unified life. Enter the world of oneness with an awareness of the propensity to compartmentalize everything as good or bad, right or wrong. Beautiful or ugly are standards of the physical world, not the Tao. Contemplate the insight that duality is a mind game. In other words, people look the way
they look, period—criticism is not always necessary or helpful. See the unfolding of the Tao inside everyone, including yourself, and be at peace with what you observe. Be a good animal and move freely, unencumbered with thoughts about where you should be and how you should be acting. For instance, imagine yourself as an otter just living your “otterness.” You’re not good or bad, beautiful or ugly, a hard worker or a slacker . . . you’re simply an otter, moving through the water or on the land freely, peacefully, playfully, and without judgments. When it’s time to leave your body, you do so, reclaiming your place in the pure mystery of oneness. This is what Lao-tzu means when he says, “When the work is done, it is forgotten. That is why it lasts forever.” In other words, you don’t have to leave your body to experience forever; it’s possible to know your eternal self even in the embodied condition. When duality and judgment crop up, allow them to be a part of the perfect unity. When other people create dichotomies, you can always know oneness by practicing the Tao. Accomplish much by trying less. Effort is one piece of the whole; another piece is noneffort. Fuse these dichotomies, and the result is effortless action without attachment to outcome. This is precisely how you dance with someone: You make an attempt, assume a position, listen to the music, and let go all at the same time, allowing yourself to easily move with your partner. Combine the so-called opposites into the oneness of being without judgment or fear. Labeling action as “a fine effort” implies a belief that trying hard is better than not trying. But trying itself only exists because of beliefs about not trying. Attempting to pick up a piece of trash is really just not picking up the trash. Once you’ve picked it up, then trying and not trying are irrelevant.
Understand that you can act without the implied judgment of words such as effort and trying. You can compete without being focused on outcome. Eliminating opposites paradoxically unifies them so that it is unnecessary to identify with one position. I imagine that in today’s language, Lao-tzu would sum up this 2nd verse of the Tao Te Ching in these two simple words: Just be. Do the Tao Now Do the Tao today by noticing an opportunity to defend or explain yourself and choosing not to. Instead, turn within and sense the texture of misunderstanding, feeling it all the way through your physical system. Just be with what is, instead of opting to ease it by traversing the outer-world path of explaining and defending. Don’t get caught up in the apparent duality of being right or wrong. Congratulate yourself for making a choice to be in paradoxical unity, a oneness where all of the spectrum simply is. Silently appreciate the opportunity, along with your willingness to practice your sageness!
3rd Verse Putting a value on status will create contentiousness. If you overvalue possessions, people begin to steal. By not displaying what is desirable, you will cause the people’s hearts to remain undisturbed. The sage governs by emptying minds and hearts, by weakening ambitions and strengthening bones. Practice not doing. . . . When action is pure and selfless, everything settles into its own perfect place.
Living Contentment This 3rd verse of the Tao Te Ching advises rearranging priorities to ensure contentment. Focusing on obtaining more objects of desire encourages external factors to have control over us. Pursuit of status, be it monetary or a position of power, blinds us to our relationship to the eternal Tao, along with the contented life that is available. Overvaluing possessions and accomplishments stems from our ego’s fixation on getting more—wealth, belongings, status, power, or the like. The Tao recommends refraining from this kind of discontented way of life, which leads to thievery, contentiousness, and confusion. Rather than seeking more, the Tao practice of gratitude is what leads us to the contented life. We must replace personal desires with the Tao-centered question: How may I serve? By simply changing these kinds of thoughts, we will begin to see major changes taking place in our lives. The advice to practice “not doing” and trusting that all will settle into a perfect place may sound like a prescription for laziness and a failed society, yet I don’t think that’s what Lao-tzu is offering here. He isn’t saying to be slothful or inactive; rather, he’s suggesting that trusting in the Tao is the way to be directed by the Source of your creation and to be guided by a higher principle than your ego-driven desires. Ego-fixated wants can get in the way of Divine essence, so practice getting ego out of the way and be guided by the Tao in all that you do. In a state of frenzy? Trust in the Tao. Listen for what urges you onward, free from ego domination, and you’ll paradoxically be more productive. Allow what’s within to come forward by suspending worldly determination. In this way, it will no longer be just you who is conducting this orchestration that you call your life.
Much of this 3rd verse contains advice on how to govern. I view this not as political or administrative advice, but as it pertains to our own personal lives and those we’re entrusted to guide—that is, our immediate family, and in a larger sense, the human family that comprises all of those with whom we’re in contact on a daily basis. Encourage your relatives to empty their minds of thoughts about status and acquisitions, and think instead about serving others and contributing to the health and strength of all. Model the harmony of this attitude; after all, everyone has a calling to be inspired. The Source of creation is not interested in material possessions or status. It will provide what is needed—it will guide, motivate, and influence you and everyone else. Ego (and its incessant inventory of desires) probably needs to be weakened so that the beauty of the Tao can be sensed. Demonstrate this to others by being a leader who removes the egocentric temptations that foster envy, anger, and competition. If Lao-tzu were able to view our contemporary world from his 2,500-year-old perspective, I believe that he’d offer the following advice based upon this 3rd verse of the Tao Te Ching: Remind yourself daily that there is no way to happiness; rather, happiness is the way. You may have a long list of goals that you believe will provide you with contentment when they’re achieved, yet if you examine your state of happiness in this moment, you’ll notice that the fulfillment of some previous ambitions didn’t create an enduring sense of joy. Desires can produce anxiety, stress, and competitiveness, and you need to recognize those that do. Bring happiness to every encounter in life, instead of expecting external events to produce joy. By staying in harmony on the path of the Tao, all the contentment you could ever dream of will begin to
flow into your life—the right people, the means to finance where you’re headed, and the necessary factors will come together. “Stop pushing yourself,” Lao-tzu would say, “and feel gratitude and awe for what is. Your life is controlled by something far bigger and more significant than the petty details of your lofty aspirations.” Trust the perfection of the eternal Tao, for it is the ultimate Source of the 10,000 things. The Tao is working for and with you, so you needn’t remind it of what you crave or what you think it has forgotten on your behalf. Trust the harmony of the Tao. It took care of everything that you needed in your creation as well as your first nine months of life without any assistance from you, and totally independent of any desires you may have had. The Tao will continue to do so if you just trust it and practice not doing. Inventory your desires and then turn them over to the unnameable. Yes, turn them over and do nothing but trust. At the same time, listen and watch for guidance, and then connect yourself to the perfect energy that sends whatever is necessary into your life. You (meaning your ego) don’t need to do anything. Instead, allow the eternal perfection of the Tao to work through you. This is Laotzu’s message for our world now. Henry David Thoreau made the following observation in the middle of the 19th century as he wrote at Walden Pond, and I feel that it personifies this 3rd verse of the Tao Te Ching: Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature, and not be thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquito’s wing that falls on the rails. . . . If the engine whistles, let it whistle till it is hoarse for its pains. If the bell rings, why should we run? . . . I
have always been regretting that I was not as wise as the day I was born. Trust in your essential sageness. Don’t let desires obscure your eternal connection to the Tao. Do the Tao Now Watch for an opportunity today to notice that you’re planning on buying something. Choose to do the Tao and listen for guidance. Be grateful that you have the choice to make the purchase, then practice listening to yourself and not doing. Through your feelings, the Tao will reveal the way for you in that moment. Trust it. You might be guided to buy the item and savor it with gratitude, donate it, procure one for you and one for someone else, give the money to a charity instead of getting the item, or refrain from obtaining it altogether. Practice doing the Tao in everyday situations and you’ll know contentment in a deeper sense. As this verse says, “When action is pure and selfless, everything settles into its own perfect place.” Now that’s my definition of contentment!
4th Verse The Tao is empty but inexhaustible, bottomless, the ancestor of it all. Within it, the sharp edges become smooth; the twisted knots loosen; the sun is softened by a cloud; the dust settles into place. It is hidden but always present. I do not know who gave birth to it. It seems to be the common ancestor of all, the father of things.
Living Infinitely The Tao is the Source of all life, yet it is empty and limitless and cannot be constrained, quantified, or measured. This life-giving energy of creation provides a profound Source of joy that’s accessible at all times. If you live from an infinite perspective, you’ll relinquish the idea that your only identity is the physical body in which you progress from birth to death. In your totality, you’re an infinite being disguised as a person existing in the world of “sharp edges” and “twisted knots” that this verse refers to. Coalescing within and around you at all times is the invisible life-giving force of the Tao. It is inexhaustible. It is bottomless. It cannot be depleted. This 4th verse of the Tao invites you to consider rearranging your thoughts about who you are. It seems to be saying that cultivating an awareness of the infinite aspect of yourself is the way to tap into the limitless Source of creative energy that flows through you. For example, you may want to help less fortunate people improve their dayto-day existence, but you don’t believe that you have the time or energy to do so because of who you are and what you presently do. As you relax your hold on the idea of yourself as the job you do or the life you’re living and seek to acquaint yourself with the limitless creative energy that’s a part of you, the time and energy you require will appear. Imagining yourself helping others, guided by the infinite aspect of yourself, will generate behavior and actions that complement your vision through the “common ancestor” of the Tao. Ultimately, you’ll cultivate an absolute knowing that whatever assistance you need is right here and right now—in front of, in back of, above, and below you. It is
empty, yet very much present. It is, as Lao-tzu reminds you, “inexhaustible, bottomless, the ancestor of it all.” Awareness of the omnipresence of the Tao means that thoughts of shortages or lack aren’t prevalent. Beliefs such as “There’s no way this will happen,” “It’s not my destiny,” or “With my luck, things could never work out,” cease to be entertained. Instead, you begin to expect that what you imagine for yourself is not only on its way—it’s already here! This new self-portrait based on the cooperative presence of the invisible Tao elevates you to living an inspired life—that is, one of being “in spirit” or in unending touch with the Tao. When you live infinitely, the rewards are a sense of peaceful joy because you know that all is in order. This is what I imagine Lao-tzu’s ancient words mean in our modern era: Consider all things that seem to be a problem from the perspective of the eternal Tao. Believing that there’s a shortage of prosperity is a signal to think in terms of the inexhaustible Source: the Tao. Just like everything else on our planet, money is available in limitless quantities. Know this and connect to the bottomless supply. Do it first in your thoughts by affirming: Everything I need now is here. Prosperity thoughts are energetic instructions to access your infinite self, so actions will follow them. Take this same approach—staying in harmony with the Tao—to all of your problems, for there’s an allencompassing supply of well-being to partner with. So rather than giving energy to illness and perceived misfortunes, stay with the Tao. Stay with what can never be used up. Stay with that which is the father of all things, the creative Source of all. It will work with and for you, as you
have it in your thoughts, then in your feelings, and finally in your actions. Be an infinite observer. When acknowledged as a sign of change, worry is transitory—it’s simply part of the world of the changing. If you view your life from the vantage point of an infinite observer, concerns, anxieties, and struggles blend into the eternal mix. From this ageless perspective, picture how important the things you feel depressed about now will be in a hundred, a thousand, a million, or an uncountable number of years. Remember that you, like the infinite Tao from which you originated, are part of an eternal reality. Rearrange your thoughts to practice thinking in alignment with the Tao. With the assistance of the eternal Tao, all of the sharp edges of life smooth out, the knots loosen, and the dust settles. Try it! Do the Tao Now Pick a situation today (any situation will work), and instead of verbally responding, be silent and listen to your thoughts. For example, in a social gathering or business meeting, choose to seek the emptiness found in silence in order to be aware of your infinite self. Invite it to let you know when or whether to respond. If you find your worldly ego interpreting or judging, then just observe that without criticizing or changing it. You’ll begin to find more and more situations where it feels peaceful and joyful to be without response . . . just to be in the infinity that’s hidden but always present. You might want to duplicate this advice of my teacher Nisargadatta Maharaj and post it conspicuously so that you can read it daily: Wisdom is knowing I am nothing, love is knowing I am everything,
and between the two my life moves. And while you’re living, stay as close to love as you can.
5th Verse Heaven and earth are impartial; they see the 10,000 things as straw dogs. The sage is not sentimental; he treats all his people as straw dogs. The sage is like heaven and earth: To him none are especially dear, nor is there anyone he disfavors. He gives and gives, without condition, offering his treasures to everyone. Between heaven and earth is a space like a bellows; empty and inexhaustible, the more it is used, the more it produces. Hold on to the center. Man was made to sit quietly and find the truth within.
Living Impartially The Tao does not discriminate—period! Like heaven and earth, it is impartial. The Tao is the Source of all, the great invisible provider. It doesn’t show preference by giving energy to some while depriving others; rather, the basic life-sustaining components of air, sunshine, atmosphere, and rain are provided for all on our planet. By choosing to harmonize our inner and outer consciousness with this powerful feature of the Tao, we can realize the true self that we are. The true self is our unsentimental sage aspect that lives harmoniously with the Tao. This aspect doesn’t view life in one form as more deserving than another, and it refuses to play favorites. Or, as Lao-tzu states, “He treats all his people as straw dogs.” Lao-tzu uses this term to describe how the Tao (as well as the enlightened ones) treats the 10,000 things that comprise the world of the manifest. In Stephen Mitchell’s translation of the Tao Te Ching, he explains that “straw dogs were ritual objects, venerated before the ceremony but afterward abandoned and trampled underfoot.” In other words, Taoism reveres and respects existence impartially, as an ebb and flow that is to be revered and then released. With impartial awareness, the sage genuinely sees the sacredness within all the straw dogs in this ceremony we call life. The 5th verse encourages us to be aware of this unbiased Source and, as a bonus, to enjoy the paradoxical nature of the Tao. The more rapport we have with the energy of the Tao and the more we’re living from its all-creating perspective, the more it is available to us. It’s impossible to use it up—if we consume more, we simply receive more. But if we attempt to hoard it, we’ll experience shortages ourselves, along with the failure of having even a wisp of
understanding. The Tao and its inexhaustible powers paradoxically disappear when we attempt to exclude anyone from its unprejudiced nature. The varied forms of life are illusory as far as the Tao is concerned, so no one is special or better than anyone else. This sentiment is echoed in the Christian scriptures: “[God] sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45). Practicing impartiality is a way to incorporate the 5th verse of the Tao Te Ching into your life, and to practice its wisdom in today’s world. To that end, this is what I believe Lao-tzu was trying to impart to us from his 2,500-year-old vantage point: Stay in harmony with the impartial essence of the Tao in all of your thoughts and all of your behaviors. When you have a thought that excludes others, you’ve elected to see yourself as “special” and therefore deserving of exceptional favor from your Source of being. The moment you’ve promoted yourself to this category, you’ve elevated your self-importance above those whom you’ve decided are less deserving. Thinking this way will cause you to lose the all-encompassing power of the Tao. Organizations—including religious groups—that designate some members as “favored” aren’t centered in the Tao. No matter how much they attempt to convince themselves and others of their spiritual connection, the act of exclusion and partiality eliminates their functioning from their true self. In other words, if a thought or behavior divides us, it is not of God; if it unites us, it is of God. Stay centered on this Tao that resides within you, Lao-tzu advises, and you’ll never have a thought that isn’t in harmony with spirit. Offer your treasures to everyone. This is what the Tao is doing at every moment—offering to all, the entire spectrum of creation. Think of this as a
simple three-step process: 1. Eliminate as many judgments of others in your thoughts as possible. The simplest, most natural way to accomplish this is to see yourself in everyone. Remember that you and those you judge share one thing in common—the Tao! So rather than viewing appearances, which are really nothing more than straw dogs, see the unfolding of the Tao in those you encounter, and your criticisms and labels will dissolve. 2. Remove the word special from your vocabulary when you refer to yourself or others. If anyone is special, then we all are. And if we’re all exceptional, then we don’t need a word like that to define us, since it clearly implies that some are more favored than others! 3. Finally, implement the third step of this process by extending generosity through living the Tao impartially and connecting with the inner space of being the Tao. In this space you’ll be able to be unbiased about your possessions, recognizing that they’re not exclusively yours but are rather a part of the entirety. By unconditionally sharing and giving, you’ll thrill at the experience of living the Tao and being unprejudiced. The Tao is your truth; it resides within you. Quietly be in the peace and joy of connecting with the inexhaustible Tao. Do the Tao Now As many times as possible today, decide to approach interactions or situations involving other people with a completely fair mind-set, which you allow and trust to guide your responses. Do this as often as you can for an entire day with individuals, groups, friends, family members, or strangers. Create a short sentence that you silently repeat to continually remind yourself that you’re approaching this situation with an unbiased attitude, such as Guide me right now, Tao; Holy Spirit, guide me now; or Holy Spirit, help us now. Keeping this brief sentence on a